


Colour Me Violet

by ChillingBluebells



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Season/Series 02 AU, Romance, Swearing, slow-build relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillingBluebells/pseuds/ChillingBluebells
Summary: A woman looking for a new lease on life meets a woman trying to mend her family, whilst dealing with her cantankerous and scruffy best friend's (not-so-good) plans.





	1. Violet Meets Orange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, and a Broadchurch one at that. So I'd appreciate any comments, questions, kudos and constructive criticism you guys may have.  
> I do have a slight idea of where I am going with this story, but as for details, I'm just going to play with it as I go.
> 
> This won't be a Alec x Ellie shipping story (or maybe it will be? I don't know).  
> Just FYI, please know that I completely ship Alec and Ellie, but at the same time, I do also love their unique friendship.
> 
> \----------------
> 
> Broadchurch belongs to the ITV and Chris Chibnall.

It's strange how fast a person's life can change in less than twenty-four hours.  
  
A few hours prior, a woman in what would be her umpteenth mid-life crisis, had decided to quit her profession, vacate the flat she paid obscene amounts of rent on, and moved south to the small coastal town in Dorset. The drastic actions hadn't exactly been spur-of-the-moment decisions. She had been toying with the notions for quite a while—idly looking up places to live all over the UK. It wasn't until she almost set her flat on fire one night that she settled on moving her life to a quaint little house in Broadchurch.

Now, here she was sitting atop the hood of her car, staring at her new abode. To a passerby, she must be quite the odd sight. But then again, Violet Richardson had always been seen as different, especially now in a small community rather than the bustling city of London. She was first known as "The Rich Kid" of two wealthy parents. Then as the "Wealthy Orphan" at age thirteen, who lived with her late grandmother until she was sixteen. By twenty-three, her neighbours called her "The Loner" behind her back, which she obviously knew about. She didn't dislike people or feared social interactions; she was always too busy with work and never knew what to say. Eventually, she gave up trying.

Confidently getting off of her car, Violet opened the trunk, and attempted to pull out her large suitcase, which conveniently held most of the items she owned. She was never one to participate in materialism, especially since she never had the opportunity to fill her flat with unnecessary paraphernalia due to work commitments.

 _'How the bloody hell did this even fit back here?'_ she thought, struggling to navigate her suitcase out.

"'Scuse me, do you need some help?"

A woman in an offensively orange jacket, a teenager carrying a picnic basket, and an adorable preschooler in a stroller, stopped a short distance from Violet with matching curious expressions on their faces.

"Oh, that would be nice. Thank you. I have no idea how I got it in there in the first place."

"Watch Fred for a sec, would you Tom?" the lady turned and asked the elder child. Tom nodded in response.

"Now, let's see if we can get this out, shall we?"

Settling their hands on opposite sides of the suitcase, they slowly hauled the monstrosity out and settled it on the pavement.

"There we go! If you don't mind me asking, what on earth do you have in there?" Surprisingly, it was the first time today someone asked that question.

"My life."

"What? Really?" the teenage boy gasped. Violet nodded in amusement.

"Oh! You must be our new neighbour! We just live next door," the 'orange' lady exclaimed, pointing to the house behind her. "We were wondering who would move into Mrs. Walker's house when she went to live with her daughter. Lovely old lady—made the best cookies in town. Bless her," she smiled. "Anyways, it's nice to have a new face in the neighbourhood. I'm Ellie, by the way, and these are my boys, Tom and Fred."

"Fred!" the little one confidently proclaimed.

"Violet, nice to meet you all," she responded with a smile before squatting down. "Especially you, Fred!"

She held up her left hand for a high-five, which the toddler gladly provided whilst giggling.

"D'awww...he likes you." Ellie grinned. "We were just on our way to the beach. We're having a small football match there. You're free to join us, meet some of the locals."

Violet straightened back up. "Oh, I don't want to intrude, plus I'm rubbish at football."

"Don't be silly, you won't be intruding."

"Yah, don't worry. Mum's rubbish at footie too!" Tom smirked.

"Tom!" Ellie exclaimed mock-offended, turning to her son. "I'll have you know I'm getting better!"

"You kicked the ball into your own goal last time!"

"At least I scored and had fun. That's all that matters. Isn't that right, Fred?"

"Fun! Fred!" the little boy parroted, oblivious.

"Whatever, Mum. Tell that to Uncle Mark."

Ellie turned back to Violet with a roll of her eyes. "Kids," she sighed. "So will you come?"

"Perhaps another time. I still need to sort 'my life' out," Violet responded, patting her suitcase.

"Oh, right. Well if you change your mind, feel free to come by! The more the merrier!"

The group exchanged good-byes with Fred giving a particularly enthusiastic wave as the trio headed off to the beach.

Violet pivoted back to stare at her new home, suitcase handle in hand. She closed her eyes and grinned, shaking her head a little. _'New place, new home, nice new neighbours, and a brand new start. Just what I needed.'_

 

* * *

 

"So she seems nice. What do you think?" Ellie asked Tom.

"S'alright," he replied with a shrug.

 _'And that's the last word I'll hear from him for the day,'_ she thought.

Getting more than one-word answers and non-committal sounds out of Tom was difficult nowadays. After finding out about Joe, his acquittal and their subsequent, necessary (on her part) divorce, Tom had basically stopped talking to her. It didn't help that her boy was now a teenager, and at the stage where talking and hanging out with parents was "uncool". So imagine Ellie's surprise when her son had actually had a conversation with her in-front of a complete stranger, albeit in a "let's tease Mom" kind of way. She missed that; the jokes and stupid ribbing arguments they would share.

It was one aspect in her life that didn't go back to normal.

Seven months had passed since Joe's banishment. Ellie still received the occasional pitying glance and hushed whispers about the child-murderer's ex-wife. But for the most part, the community was welcoming her back as if nothing had happened. It took a while, when everything finally calmed down, before Superintendent Jenkinson reinstated her as a Detective Sergeant, working under the new Detective Inspector, DI Morrison, who in Ellie's opinion was a bit dim-witted, slow, and generally bloody incompetent. She hadn't the faintest idea how the man became a DI (a DI position that was stolen from her, again), let alone a detective of any capacity. If she had to hear him ask where his glasses were, when they were hanging from his suit pocket, once more, she might stab the man. She'd hate to admit it, but she did miss the grumpy-faced bastard that was Alec Hardy.

Ever since their goodbye in the blue shack, he had completely vanished from her life. No phone calls, no emails, not even a bloody text. But what did she think would happen? He hated Broadchurch, as he told her countless times, and to be fair, he wasn't really the social type to begin with. But they were friends, _weren't they?_ She liked to think they were, _even if he was being a shit friend right now._

The trio arrived on the beach; Beth Latimer waving them over to a small canopy set-up with refreshments.

"Hiya Ellie!" Beth gave Ellie a one-armed hug; baby Lizzie in her other arm.

"Hi Tom," she greeted. "I think Nige needs your help with the goals and Mark wants to discuss strategy with you."

Tom responded with a brief hello and a nod, before dropping off the picnic basket, and racing off to Beth's husband and Nige Carter, who were untangling the goal netting.

"Hi Fred! Do you want some apple juice, Sweetie?"

"Juice!" Fred exclaimed, clapping his chubby hands together in excitement.

"I think that means, 'yes,'" Beth laughed.

Ellie joined her laughter and settled Fred down with a sippy cup of apple juice and a few biscuits. The younger mother sat down and started feeding Lizzie.

"So, is Tom speaking to you yet?"

Ellie was grateful to have her best friend back. It took a while for their relationship to heal after the trial. Teaming up for Joe's exile and the subsequent afternoon at the beach had given them a push in the right direction. Soon, Beth began to drop-by before and after her runs with a knock on the back door. The families slowly started to invite each other for barbecues and dinners with offers of babysitting when either family needed it. Eventually, a ladies-only afternoon tea filled with gossip and immense giggling became a common occurrence once again.

"He actually teased me in front of our new neighbour before we came here."

Beth's eyebrow rose. "Really?"

"Yeah, but once we were alone, it was back to one-word answers and grunts," Ellie sighed.

"Well, that's some improvement, and in front of a stranger no less. Have you thought about seeing a therapist together?"

"I might have to, but I think forcing him to go might muck things up more." She stared at her hands. "I should've let him stay with Luce until he was ready to come home. But with Joe causing all this shit, I couldn't let him destroy us too. I'm his mother."

"Oh El, he'll come around," the younger woman comforted, placing her hand on Ellie's and squeezing it. "You did the right thing bringing him home."

"I don't know what to do to get him to talk to me, Beth. I'm scared this was just a one-off. I miss my boy," she sniffled.

"Mummy, sad?" Fred asked, waving his biscuit at her.

"Oh no, Sweetheart. Mummy's not sad. Just got something in my eye," Ellie answered, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. "See, all better." She plastered a smile on her face.  
  
The response seemed to have satisfied the toddler as he quickly returned to playing with his animal biscuits.  
  
"Now, you said something about a new neighbour?" Beth rose to burp the baby. "Someone finally moved into Mrs. Walker's house?"  
  
Ellie was glad for the change in discussion.  
  
"Yah, her name's Violet. She seemed nice. I invited her, if that's alright. Not sure if she'll come though."

"S'okay. It'd be nice to meet a new face. Is it just her? No family?"

"I think so. She only had a large suitcase and a few smaller boxes in the back seat of her car from what I could see."

"Huh. I wonder what brought her here."


	2. Orange and Blue Clash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet meets people. Hardy is back in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect my first chapter to receive any kudos - they're much appreciated! I was afraid no one would read it. I hope this chapter lives up to any expectations.

__The football match was in full swing by late afternoon. A couple of the locals had joined in the fun, bringing snacks, refreshments and a few child-friendly activities for the younger ones to play with. What started out as just a social get-together soon became an all-out competitive scrimmage with subs, strategic time-outs, and tactics drawn roughly in the sand. Friends and family cheered on their respective teams with some light-hearted banter thrown in the mix. A moment of pure bewilderment washed over everyone when the usually prim and proper Jocelyn Knight began trash-talking poor Olly Stevens from her seat on the sidelines.

Ellie had returned to her mothering duties, after scoring a goal, which was unfortunately in her own, again. _'Best take a break,'_ she had thought, when Paul Coates had patted her shoulder in pity.

She was watching her younger son dig a hole in the sand, when Beth called from where she was entertaining Lizzie.

"Hey El, is that her? Your new neighbour?" She nodded her head at the opposite side of the sand pitch.

The DS turned her head and caught sight of a woman in an Oxford-blue trench coat with espresso-coloured long hair, awkwardly standing to the side watching the game.

"Oh, yes! That's her. Can you watch Fred for a mo, Beth?"

"Sure."

Ellie strode over to her new neighbour, dodging lawn chairs and half-empty water bottles along the way. She was halfway to the other side before Violet spotted her.

"You came!" Ellie greeted.

"There was less unpacking to do than I thought," Violet shrugged with a shy smile.

"You guys seem to be having fun. I didn't expect there to be so many people."

"Yah, everyone in this town kind of knows each other, so the game just spread by word of mouth," Ellie clarified. "Well, come on, let me introduce you to some people."

The pair went around the sand pitch. Violet met a bunch of individuals whose names she tried to remember. She liked to think she had a pretty decent memory, but there were just too many people to keep track of, not to mention their relations. Ellie seemed to know every adult and their children. By the time they reached Ellie's younger son, she wouldn't be lying if she said she had a headache.

"Beth, this is Violet. Violet, this is Beth, she lives across the field."

"You must be El's new neighbour. Nice to meet you!" Beth greeted, before gently bouncing the baby in her arms. "And this is little Lizzie."

Violet responded in kind. "Awww...she's precious. Hello Lizzie," she cooed, gently running a finger along the bottom of the baby's left foot. Lizzie squirmed a bit with a tiny smile on her face, elicited giggles from the three women.

"Oh!" Ellie suddenly stated. "Where are my manners? Would you like to play?"

"Oh no, that's okay. I'd just get in the way. I'm rubbish at football, remember?"

"Right. Well, if you're—" the curly-haired woman trailed off, something catching her attention beyond Violet. "The bloody wanker!" she growled.

Completely discombobulated, Violet watched as Ellie stalked towards a tall, lanky, heavily-bearded man in a suit standing uncomfortably at the entrance of the beach. His face did not emote much, but from what Violet could decipher from his posture, he appeared frustrated, lost and a bit dejected.

"Do you know who that man is?" she asked Beth.

Beth took a moment to glance at the man, her brow furrowing, when she recognized who the gentleman was. "That's DI Alec Hardy. He and Ellie were partners on two cases before he left last year. I haven't seen him since. Wonder why he's back."

 

* * *

 

The Detective Inspector had not noticed the ~~orange traffic cone~~ woman coming his way, until said woman started yelling at him. _Miller._

"What the hell are you doing lurking about on the outskirts? You're going to start scaring people with your grouchy face. What are you even doing here in Broadchurch? Thought you hated it here."

"I should be asking you that! I've been looking for you everywhere! What've you done with your phone?" Hardy demanded, his Scottish accent becoming more prevalent with each word. "I've been calling and texting you!"

"Why would I check my phone when all the people who call me are here on this beach? And why would I be expecting anything from you? It's not like you've kept in touch since you've left," she countered.

"Not like I heard from you either."

"Oh, shut up. Don't turn this 'round on me," she retorted. "You couldn't wait to get out of here, as you so frequently reminded me."

"Don't start, Miller. I—"

"'M not 'Miller' anymore. 'Barrett' now. Divorced," she cut in.

"Oh," he paused. "Barr-ett. BAH-rett. Barrett," Hardy pronounced with such unfamiliarity, as though he was speaking a new language.

He blinked a few times whilst pondering, before wrinkling his nose. "Nah. I'll go with 'Ellie' then."

"Oh for fuck's sake. Should've told you my name was 'Barrett' when we first met. Could've gotten you to call me Ellie from the start! Bloody hell," she muttered.

He reponded with a grunt. She folded her arms across her chest, and waited for him to explain his sudden appearance.

"You still haven't told me what you're doing here, knob," she added, after a moment of silence.

Hardy sighed. "Right. Thought I'd tell you before you found out on Monday."

She stood silently, willing him to continue with a look.

"Jenkinson called me a few days ago. Said your current DI's leaving in two weeks for Liverpool."

Ellie gritted her teeth in a bubbling, silent fury. "Let me guess, she offered you DI again."

Hardy grimaced, then nodded slowly.

"Un- _fucking_ -believable!" she roared and threw her hands up in the air before stomping off back towards the football match.

"Mil—erm, Ellie!" he called out exasperatingly.

"Go away!" she sharply threw back.

"Ellie! Just stop for a second!" he shouted back, following her.

The football match had paused momentarily, and he swore he could feel their stares burning into him. They were generating an audience. When have their arguments ever _not_ drawn attention? _'Trust Mil—Ellie to cause a scene in front of all these people,'_ he thought.

"For God's sake! Just let me explain, woman!" Hardy tried again.

"Fuck off Hardy, before I really piss in a cup and throw it at you this time!" she threw back over her shoulder.

He halted his steps and pinched the bridge of his nose in vexation. His eyes closed as he breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm himself. 

 

* * *

 

"She doesn't look happy to see him," Violet remarked, observing the pair who were amidst a heated discussion from what she gathered from their stances.

"Ellie used to complain about him stealing the DI position from her," Beth explained. "I think El let it go, and they became friends? I don't really know what they are. He always seemed to be grumpy, but I guess that's to be expected with the—case."

Violet noticed the hesitation at the end, and Beth had almost immediately turned her attention to the two young children. _'Odd. The case must have hit close to home,'_ Violet pondered. She looked back to the two detectives, who were now having a full-on squabble, with Ellie storming back towards them; the Detective Inspector hot on her trail pleading her to stop. Violet raised an eyebrow at Ellie's choice words, which delivered the final blow. _'Maybe not final. Don't think the argument's over,'_ Violet mused.

"He stole the DI position from me. _Again!_ " Ellie growled as she approached. She received words of sympathy in return.

"I think he wanted to explain," Violet quietly commented, glancing over at DI Hardy and noting his obvious frustration.

"Ugh, I don't think I can listen to the idiot explain himself right now. Too angry. He vanishes without a single text or phone call for a year, and suddenly he reappears with my job as if nothing's happened. The wanker," she responded. "I'm going to go check to see how Tom's doing."

Left alone to her own devices, Violet strolled over to the man, who still appeared to be irritated.

"I hope that isn't how you usually greet someone after a year of non-existent communication, DI Hardy."

His head whipped around, slightly started. It amused her.

He blinked a few times with a small frown on his face. "You're new."

 _'Blunt and to the point. No wonder Beth thinks he's a grump,'_ she concluded in her mind.

"Very. Just moved here today. Violet Richardson." She extended her hand out.

He looked back and forth between her hand and her face. _'It's like he'd never seen someone introduce themselves to him with a handshake,'_ she considered. Eventually, he shook her outstretched hand with his own.

"Now, come on." She tucked her hands in her trench coat pockets. "Let's go for a walk."

"Walk? What for? Mil—Ellie's here and I need to talk—"

"Yes, I know that. I think the whole beach knows that," she cut in, giving him a look. "Both of you need a breather before you explain to Ellie why you have her DI position again." Hardy opened his mouth to protest, before closing it quickly when Violet held up her index finger to signal him to be quiet.

"You don't need to explain to me, but she's not going to listen now if you're both blazing. And I can tell you're not the social type who wants to play football," she explained calmly. 

Hardy grunted and frowned. He looked like a petulant child, but he knew she was right.

"So, come on, walk. You can show me the sights."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not really a fan of Ellie being 'Ellie Barrett' rather than 'Ellie Miller'. It doesn't sit well, but that's her father's name in the show, and I got Ellie divorced, so...
> 
> Please let me know what you think. I love reading comments/critiques.  
> Cheers!


	3. The Weight of Blue

After the farewell in the little blue hut, Alec Hardy had relocated to a little flat in Greystone—the town over from Sandbrook, and a whole three-hour drive from Broadchurch. The former-DI had been hoping to start a new chapter of his life closer to Daisy.  
  
Up to this point, he had been without a proper home that he could call his own, having been living in hotel rooms and rented blue huts for the past two years. The ~~friends~~ acquaintances he had were either still pissed at him for Sandbrook, or were distant from him (both literally and figuratively). Unfortunately, it had taken him a few months before he was able to get a detective position back, due to the medical leave forced upon him by the pacemaker surgery. If he had to admit, Broadchurch was better than Greystone in every way. _'Heck, it was called GREY-stone 'cause it was literally grey there,'_ he frowned. It had been better than nothing though.  
  
He was relieved that the Sandbrook case had finally been solved, but the tension he felt from the long periods of restlessness, depression, and anger, caused by both the cases and his heart, had yet to be alleviated. It didn't help knowing that Joe Miller's trial went to complete and utter hell. The fucking bastard was free to roam the streets, and there was nothing he could do. _Or was there?_ He was still confused about what Miller meant about it being dealt with.  
  
He remembered swiping a hand across his beard and grimaced at the state of his face. Prior to Sandbrook, he had sported a clean-shaven look. Then, everything hit rock-bottom, to the point where he hadn't bothered to give a shit about his own appearance. As much as he wanted to see his daughter, she hadn't needed to see him in such a ragged state. He ultimately opted for a neatly-trimmed beard than a bare face. He wasn't the same man as he was before.  
  
It had taken him a full week of moping before he had the audacity to see Daisy again. He recalled the day when he first picked Daisy up from the house he used to share with his ex-wife and daughter. It had taken him a full minute of preparing for the worst before he had the courage to ring the doorbell. The door had opened revealing neither Tess or Daisy, but a man. _Dave._ Hardy detested the man. He was arrogant, idiotic, lazy, and not to mention an adulterer—the worst combination for a decent detective or human being. He had been glad when Daisy intervened before he raised a fist to punch the shithead in the face. No use setting off the pacemaker and embarrassing himself.  
  
In the subsequent weeks after his first visit with Daisy, his relationship with her was beginning to mend, to the point where Daisy actually asked if she could stay with him on the weekends. He relented, but it had caused him to have several heated arguments with Tess about his living situation and other bullshit, which was quite frankly, none of her business. The conversations ended on bad terms, but that was pretty much the norm these days.  
  
Daisy stayed with her mum.

* * *

Two weeks ago, Hardy had received a call from DCS Jenkinson, asking him to come back on board as the DI in Broadchurch since her current DI was moving to Liverpool. He had originally declined the offer and recommended Miller for the job. It wouldn't do him any good to steal her well-deserved position again, he would never hear the end of it. Eventually, he accepted the offer when he was informed of the alternate plan for Miller. One he was sure she would be pleased about.  
  
He had managed to carefully sidestep Becca Fisher's questions when he appeared at the Trader's this morning. She gave him the key to what was unofficially named "The Hardy Room" after his year's stay there. Originally, he had called to inquire about the availability of the little blue hut—call it sentimentality, if you will—but it was occupied.  
  
Now, a couple of hours later after settling down and searching for the curly-haired DS, he was walking alongside a complete stranger, apparently named Violet Richardson. Why he followed her, he had no idea.  
  
"I'm surprised you actually listened to me," the woman voiced, as if she read his thoughts. "You could've just ignored me and carried on stalking after Ellie like a puppy, but—"  
  
"Did you just call me a _puppy_?" Hardy narrowed his eyes at her. Violet nodded.  
  
" _Well, thanks._ We've known each other for _five_ seconds, and already I've been demoted to a dog," he deadpanned, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Exactly, my point. I'm a stranger to you, yet you decided to walk with me to the cliffs. For all you know, I could be a murderer looking for my next victim."  
  
"M'don't think a murderer would declare themselves to be a murderer."  
  
She quirked an eyebrow at that. "True, but anyone could be a killer. You of all people should know that, _Detective Inspector_ Hardy."  
  
He gave an unamused stare. "Are you confessing to a crime, _Richardson_?" His Scottish-lilt was heavy on the 'R'.  
  
She rolled her eyes at that. "I don't think I'd purchase and settle myself into a house, and attend a footie game at the beach, all in the same day, if I did."  
  
"I'm watching you," his eyes narrowed once again.  
  
She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or if he was serious.  
  
"Anyways, I hope you have a great reason why you have Ellie's job again. I'd rather not have to call in the police about a murder when I just moved into the neighbourhood. Thanks."

* * *

It took the better part of Ellie to not shut the door in Hardy's face when she opened her front door later that evening. Her displeasure heightened when she noticed Violet behind him. She folded her arms, and planted a frown on her face.  
  
"Really, sir? You had to drag my new neighbour into this?"  
  
"Give me some credit, Miller. I wouldn't have taken the DI position again if I didn't know Jenkinson had a different plan for you. You deserved the job more than anyone after solving Sandbrook."  
  
"He's right. He didn't really drag me into this. I just calmed him down, I suppose." The dark-haired woman shrugged. "Ellie, I know I've only known you for less than twenty-four hours, but just hear him out. I think you'd like what he has to say."  
  
Ellie merely sighed, moving aside to let them in.  
  
Violet gently patted his shoulder, as a show of support. "Well, I'll leave you two to it," she said, turning to walk home.  
  
"You aren't coming in?" the two detectives asked simultaneously.  
  
Violet turned back to face them. "What for?"  
  
They looked pointedly at her, then tilted their heads slightly towards each other in silent subtle gestures which screamed, "You can't leave me alone with him/her!" Violet had to bite the side of her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Their synchronization amused her.  
  
"You're big kids now. I think you can survive without me," she teased. "Good night!"

* * *

The former partners sat in her living room in silence for what seemed like ages. He was staring across at her waiting for her response, while she was staring down at her hands in her lap. The silence was killing him. It wasn't like Miller to be so quiet after such a big announcement.  
  
He was startled slightly when she suddenly stood up and started slowly pacing in front of him.  
  
"So, let me get this straight. What you're saying is that they are going to open a cold case unit in C.I.D. You are still a DI in the general sense, but Jenkinson will be promoting me to DI for the cold case unit?"  
  
Hardy nodded slowly. Ellie hummed in response before pausing her pacing right in front of him.  
  
All was silent. He glanced up at her, unsure of where this was going. She was just looking at him—her stare burning him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the pacemaker helping it along. He didn't know what to say or do. He thought she would've been pleased with the news. _'Was this not what she wanted?'_ He was utterly confused.  
  
And then, her hand smacked his shoulder.  
  
"Wha—?"  
  
"You." _Smack._ "Stupid." _Smack._ "Knob!"  
  
"Stop hitting me!" She didn't let up, not that it hurt or anything. "What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be happy about getting DI!"  
  
"I am, you _bloody idiot_! But you could've told me that in the first place like any decent human being would!"  
  
"Oh for God's sake Miller — are you kidding me?" He glared at her incredulously, chest heaving, desperately trying to block her attacks.  
  
"Not Miller," she stated, landing one final assault on him, before she sat back down, slowly calming.  
  
"Who's on my team? I don't have Gregory, do I? Where's my desk going to be? Do I get my own office?" she interrogated.  
  
"You do know you do this incessant list of questions thing, _bam-bam-bam_ -so I don't have a chance to reply?" Hardy mocked, recalling what she had told him during the Latimer case. He received a glare in return.  
  
He sighed. "Jenkinson will tell you all about it on Monday. Just act shocked and pretend you didn't know. M'wasn't supposed to tell you."  
  
She nodded slowly. His news was slowly sinking in. She was stunned to say the least. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would get her own division to be in charge of. She could honestly now say that prior to Hardy arriving at Broadchurch, she wasn't ready. She was too naive and Danny and the Sandbrook cases had hardened her —made her a better detective. 

Was she prepared for this leap? Only time will tell, but she believed so. _Yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and critiques make me happy, and help me write chapters faster. ;)


End file.
